Following a Fox studio fire in 1937, no prints of this film are known to exist. However, a script dated 23 December, 1930 survives, and the original U.S. Fox theatrical trailer has been preserved by the Library of Congress.
Fox filmed a Spanish-language version of this film, using many of the same sets, using a Spanish-speaking cast, and was released under the title Eran trece (1931) (There Were Thirteen). This used many of the same pieces of stock footage as the English-language version and the script was expanded somewhat based on the English-language script. This Spanish-language version is available as a bonus feature on the DVD release of Charlie Chan in Shanghai (1935).
There was great interest in who would be cast in the part of Chan as 34 actors tested for the role before Warner Oland was ultimately selected. Included in the would-be Chans were J. Edward Bromberg and Noah Beery Sr.
Warner Oland was paid $10,000 for his first Chan role. He received $12,599 for the sequel and $20,000 for the subsequent three.